The guide shows Prague buildings associated with the life of Václav Havel

Prague - The guide to Prague's buildings connected with the life of the playwright, former dissident, and later president Václav Havel is published by the Václav Havel Library. The book was compiled by architectural historian Zdeněk Lukeš, who has been active at Prague Castle since the early 1990s and participated in the modifications of the entire area during Havel's presidency.

The book "Prague of Václav Havel" presents, in several chapters, buildings created by Václav Havel's grandfather and father, photographed by Pavel Hroch and other photographers. This includes the Lucerna Palace and the Barrandov buildings, places associated with Havel's childhood and youth, the era of his successful playwriting, and his dissident period.

The Lucerna near Wenceslas Square is, alongside the buildings in Barrandov, perhaps the most famous construction of the Havel family. The Lucerna was built by the president's grandfather Vácslav Havel. The builder used a unique, at the time still rarely used reinforced concrete structure, which allowed the largest hall to be placed three stories underground. Havel wanted to create a huge underground rink modeled after Berlin. Instead, a social hall was ultimately established. Today, the Lucerna belongs to the brother and sister-in-law of the former president, who are seeking to have the building registered as a national cultural monument.

The Barrandov Terraces, dominated by the functionalist observation restaurant Terrasy Barrandov designed by architect Max Urban, were part of Václav M. Havel's urban project for a garden district. Václav M. Havel was the father of President Havel. The dilapidated terraces were recently acquired from the president's wife Dagmar by Greek entrepreneur Michalis Dzikos, who plans to renovate them and build a hotel on the site. Dzikos has extensive experience with the renovation of historical buildings in the Czech Republic.

The guide to Havel's buildings showcases structures of various purposes - from favorite pubs, cafes, and theaters to dissident apartments, StB interrogation rooms, prisons, and new castle buildings. More than 70 Prague buildings and spaces are arranged chronologically, including biographical information related to individual life periods, detailed maps, and a glossary of architects.